Suspension grid for ceilings



Nov. 28, 1967 D. J. VALSVIK 3,355,206

SUSPENSION GRID FOR CEILINGS Filed Feb. 2, 1966 [22 21622 for Jana/d1 Z/alsvz'k y W @aA/daa flz orney United States Patent 3,355,206 SUSPENSION GRID FOR CEILINGS Donald J. Valsvik, Stillwater, Minn., assignor to Wood Conversion Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 524,617 3 Claims. (Cl. 287189.36)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A suspension grid for suspended ceilings made up of inverted T-shaped members connects the members longitudinally by means of pins inserted in the ends of tubular portions of the members.

The present invention relates to grids for suspended ceilings in which panels are held by the grid.

Such grids commonly have a series of parallel runners in cross-section like an inverted T. The two flanges of the T support edges of adjacent panels, either by resting the panels on the flanges or by entering the flanges in kerfs in the edges of the panels.

In addition to the runners, some grids have cross-members, commonly of the same cross-section as the runners. The cross-members are supported in fixed position at their ends by adjacent runners between which they extend, forming rectangular openings in the grid.

Common forms of runners and of cross-members have vertical Webs formed by one piece of metal bent at the top so as to provide a tubular :Eorm ridge at the top. The present invention involves such a tubular rib on crossmembers.

It is the object of the present invention to secure a cross-member to a runner by a connecting pin.

It is a particular object to employ a connecting pin and a cross-member together functioning to lock the two together.

Preferred forms of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one end of a runner.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one end of a crossmember.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vie-w looking down upon a runner with two cross-members secured thereto.

FIG. 4 represents a pin for one form of the invention.

FIG. 5 represents a modified pin for a second form of the invention.

In the drawing numeral represents a runner, having a vertical web 12 formed of two layers 14 and 16 of one piece of sheet metal bent to form a tubular ridge 18 at the top. Layers 14 and 16 at the bottom have out-turned flanges 20 and 22, respectively. Over these is placed a decorative or finished strip 24 with its edges 26 and 28 turned over the flanges 20 and 22. The tubular ridge 18 has no function in the present invention.

The cross-members are of similar construction, having tubular ridge 30, two metal layers 32 and 34 in the vertical web 36, the out-turned flanges of which only flange 38 from the web portion 34 is shown in FIG. 2, and the decorative strip 40 with edges 42 and 44 (FIG. 3) turned over the flange such as 3.8. The vertical web 36 of the cross-member is narrower than the vertical web 12 of the runner so that an end of a cross-member can contact a runner endwise with its ridge 30 below the runner ridge 18, and with their bottom strips 24 and 40 coplanar. To do this a portion of the extending flange structure of the cross-member is cut away so that the cut edges 46 (FIG. 3) abut the edge 47 of the flange structure of the runner.

The runner 10 has a series of holes 48 through its web 12 at the level where ridge 30 strikes the web 12 in the assembled relation of the two. A pin is passed through a hole 48 and into a ridge 30 of a cross-member on one side and usually of two cross-members alined on both sides of the runner.

One form of pin is shown in FIG. 4, being a simple pin 50 with a body of uniform cross-section, such as a cut length of a circular rod. To limit insertion of the pin in ridge 30 the latter is pinched, as shown at 52. The pinch and the end of the pin are related so as to obstruct and limit entry of the pin.

In a modified structure (FIG. 5) the pin 54 is longer than the obstructed pin 50 of FIG. 4 and has camming ends, as by rounding them, and annular recesses 58 inwardly from the camming ends and at a location to reside in a pinch 52, when forced into position to snap by the pinch. Thus, the cross-members with either pin are fixedly mounted, and with pin 54 are locked in position.

Other constructions are contemplated in which a runner has holes for pins, and in which a cross-member has a pin-receiving recess alined with a hole in a runner when the cross-member and the runner are in their proper grid-forming positions, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A suspension grid for suspended ceilings comprising a runner having a vertical web and horizontal flanges at the bottom of said web, a first cross-member having a vertical web and horizontal flanges at the bottom of its web, said cross-member endwise abutting one side of said runner in grid-forming position, a second crossmember having a vertical web and horizontal flanges at the bottom of its web, said second cross-member endwise abutting the other side of said runner in longitudinal alignment with said first cross-member, said runner having a hole through its web, said hole being in alignment with the abutting ends of said cross-mem' bets, each of said cross-members having an elongated pin-receiving tubular portion as part of and parallel to their respective webs, said tubular portions being in alignment with each other and with said hole in said runner web, all of said flanges in assembled grid-forming position being in substantially the same plane, a pin extending from within the tubular portion of said first cross-member through the hole in the web of said runner and into the tubular portion of said second cross-memher, said hole being in the upper portion of the web of said runner, said cross-members being sheet material bent to provide face-wise abutting layers forming the web of each cross-member with the bend connecting the layers being enlarged to provide said tubular pinreceiving portions for each cross-member, respectively, such that the tubular portions are ridges at the top of their respective webs and have their axes in substantially the same plane as their respective webs.

2. A suspension grid according to claim 1 in which said tubular ridges are pinched at a location inwardly from their respective ends to form an obstruction for the end of said pin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1905 Marble et a1. 287-127 7/1914 Bek 858.8

4 2,897,013 7/1959 Delp 287-189.36 X 3,004,784 10/1961 Selby 2872 3,221,846 12/1965 Brown et a1 287-189.36

FOREIGN PATENTS 930,486 8/1947 France.

18,358 8/ 1909 Great Britain.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SUSPENSION GRID FOR SUSPENDED CEILINGS COMPRISING A RUNNER HAVING A VERTICAL WEB AND HORIZONTAL FLANGES AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID WEB, A FIRST CROSS-MEMBER HAVING A VERTICAL WEB AND HORIZONTAL FLANGES AT THE BOTTOM OF ITS WEB, SAID CROSS-MEMBER ENDWISE ABUTTING ONE SIDE OF SAID RUNNER IN GRID-FORMING POSITION, A SECOND CROSSMEMBER HAVING A VERTICAL WEB AND HORIZONTAL FLANGES AT THE BOTTOM OF ITS WEB, SAID SECOND CROSS-MEMBER ENDWISE ABUTTING THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID RUNNER IN LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST CROSS-MEMBER, SAID RUNNER HAVING A HOLE THROUGH ITS WEB, SAID HOLE BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE ABUTTING ENDS OF SAID CROSS-MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID CROSS-MEMBERS HAVING AN ELONGATED PIN-RECEIVING TUBULAR PORTION AS PART OF AND PARALLEL TO THEIR RESPECTIVE WEBS, SAID TUBULAR PORTIONS BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH SAID HOLE IN SAID RUNNER WEB, ALL OF SAID FLANGES IN ASSEMBLED GRID-FORMING POSITION BEING IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PLANE, A PIN EXTENDING FROM WITHIN THE TUBULAR PORTION OF SAID FIRST CROSS-MEMBER THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE WEB OF SAID RUNNER AND INTO THE TUBULAR PORTION OF SAID SECOND CROSS-MEM BER, SAID HOLE BEING IN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE WEB OF SAID RUNNER, SAID CROSS-MEMBERS BEING SHEET MATERIAL BENT TO PROVIDE FACE-WISE ABUTTING LAYERS FORMING THE WEB OF EACH CROSS-MEMBER WITH THE BEND CONNECTING THE LAYERS BEING ENLARGED TO PROVIDE SAID TUBULAR PINRECEIVING PORTIONS FOR EACH CROSS-MEMBER, RESPECTIVELY, SUCH THAT THE TUBULAR PORTIONS ARE RIDGES AT THE TOP OF THEIR RESPECTIVE WEBS AND HAVE THEIR AXES IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PLANE AS THEIR RESPECTIVE WEBS. 